SUNY - Potsdam Women's Basketball

Brittany Cohen enters her 10th season as SUNY Potsdam head women's basketball coach.   "Her success as a player within the SUNYAC combined with her overall knowledge of our conference and ability to establish positive relationships quickly moved her to the top of an extremely talented applicant pool", said Jim Zalacca. "Her youthful exuberance and work ethic honed during her experience in both the college and professional game should lend itself well to reestablishing our basketball program. The Cohen legacy has always commanded respect and admiration within our area and state. Grandpa Stan is sure to be smiling proudly. We're thrilled to have Brittany joining our staff and can't wait for her arrival on campus and beginning work with our program."   Cohen, a Fayetteville native, was a two-time SUNYAC Player of the Year and a WBCA Honorable Mention All-American with the Red Dragons. She averaged over 15 points-per-game and nearly six assists-per-game.   After graduating from Cortland in 2012 with a bachelor's degree in Kinesiology, Cohen turned her attention to coaching, where she has experience at nearly all levels of basketball. She spent the 2012-13 season as a graduate assistant for Division II Le Moyne College. The following season Cohen helped guide her alma mater Jamesville-DeWitt High School to the New York State Finals. She served as the top assistant for the Nazareth College women's basketball team during the 2014-15 campaign, helping the Golden Flyers reach the Empire 8 Playoffs for the first time in 14 seasons.   Cohen spent this season in Texas working as the player development intern for Lisbon native Rick Carlisle's Dallas Mavericks of the NBA. With the Mavs, Cohen assisted the coaching staff with practices and workouts and gathered advanced statistics for the team's player development database.   "I am honored and humbled to be named the head women's basketball coach at SUNY Potsdam," Cohen said. "I would like to thank Athletic Director Jim Zalacca, as well as the entire search committee, for giving me this incredible opportunity. This school is a very special place for my family and me. My grandfather coached here and I have been around the community all my life. I am very excited to be coaching in the same league in which I played and most importantly, I am looking forward to working with our student-athletes."   Cohen is nearing the completion of her master's in sport management with a specialization in intercollegiate athletic administration from California University of Pennsylvania.

Michael Busby enters his third season as associate coach. He was also named Maxcy Hall Facilities Manager in July 2022. Busby brings five years of coaching experience to Potsdam. He spent the last three seasons as the head women's basketball and softball coach at Clinton Community College in Plattsburgh. With the Cougars he was responsible for creating and executing practice and game plans as well as recruiting student-athletes. Busby also spent two seasons as an assistant coach, including the 2014-15 campaign at CCC and the previous year at Jefferson Community College.   Busby was also part of the staff for the Potsdam Bears Basketball Camp from 2008-17. He was the coach of the girls modified through varsity levels. He coordinated activities for eight to 10 teams containing 10 to 12 girls each and supervised a staff of eight to 10 coaches. From 2011-14 he was the coordinator, scoreboard operator and assisted with games management for the North Country Shootout basketball tournament at JCC.   In addition to his a basketball experience, Busby was a resident director at CCC. There he managed a staff of six resident assistants and oversaw the operations of a dormitory that housed approximately 150 students.   Busby earned his bachelor's degree in professional studies in management with a specialization in sport management from Cazenovia College in 2013. He completed his associate's in business administration while at JCC in 2011.